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What do you think of the new household charge?

by Sinead Hogan  Updated: Thursday, 4th August, 2011 9:30am

Mary McCabe, Cavan town.

A "household charge" of €100 per year is set to be levied on the estimated 1.8m householders in the State, potentially raising €160 million in revenue in 2012. It is understood that between 100,000 and 200,000 low-income households, will be exempt from the tax. The flat-rate charge will be introduced for 2012 and will apply to those who own the property. The levy will provide a new revenue stream for local government, the first such tax on households to be levied since domestic rates were scrapped in 1977.

SINEAD HOGAN asked people on the street what they thought of the new charge, and got some very diverse views on the issue...

Mary McCabe, Cavan Town:

"The last government and this government are putting all types of charges and taxes on the ordinary tax-payers, when the banks got off with so much. I think the politicians must have been involved with the banks and that's why they are trying to force ordinary people to pay for the mistakes that were made. Why should they not have gone after the people in the banks and made them pay for the mistakes they made? Even if they had to sell their houses and they weren't worth only a third of what they had been, they should have went after them.

"For a country that had a Celtic Tiger - and yes, we all had a part to play in that - to have ended up with a situation that our health system is in such a state, and for people with special needs children, they're cutting back on special needs assistants in schools. It's absolutely chaotic."

Gemma Conaghy, Lavey:

"I don't think that we should have to pay the €100. There's a lot of people out there in this day and age that can't afford to pay it. Petrol's going up in price, diesel's going up, even food's going up. Income is going down for people who are not even working. To have another €100 on top of everything else, I don't think it's right."

PJ Jackson, Canningstown:

"We're the only country in the world that doesn't have something like that. Go to America and they're paying anything from $8,000 to $10,000 or even $15,000. I suppose it's a throwback to the old rates. A lot of these taxes should never have been done away with in the first place, maybe."

Maureen Reynolds, Gowna:

"I don't think it makes any difference at all what we think. I'm an old age pensioner and my husband is too. We will be affected the same as any other person. It's all been decided. It's right that people should object and voice our opinions. "Why should people have this charge set on them, and then on somebody else who has a massive big mansion? It's not fair. It's going to take this government maybe five or ten years before they sort it out, they should do it in a fairer way."

Is it the fact that it's a flat rate is most objectionable?

"I think so. If you're living in a mansion and have maybe two or three properties and lots of money, and there's somebody struggling on a small income, not necessarily pensioners, but a man or a woman earning what they can and they've enough to pay for. They're doing away with school buses and everything - that doesn't affect us but we worked hard all our lives and tried to save a few pounds and now they're taking everything off us."

Veronica Kenny, Cavan:

"I have no problem with that to be quite honest with you. I think every house should be paying something to alleviate the debt we have in the country. A hundred euros isn't a great deal of money to ask any household to pay, whether people are working or on social welfare, put a few bob by a week and it shouldn't be a problem."

What do you think about people kicking up about it?

"At the moment everybody is kicking up about everything. We have got to realise that our country is bankrupt and we have to make an effort to get it back on its feet, we have to do something about it."

Aileen Caffrey, from Dublin with Cavan roots

"I think it's a disgrace. My mother is 88 and she's an old-age pensioner. There's only so much you can pay every month. Her incomings are going down and her outgoings are going up. It's ridiculous. It's very unfair. It's always the old people and those earning less who seem to be charged and the wealthy people get away with it. It's always the ordinary Joe Soaps who are fleeced."

Is it the fact that it's a flat charge that you object to most?

"I object to the charge full stop. It should be a charge for the people who can afford it. It should be on the value of the house. It always seems that the poorer are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. A hundred euros is a lot for someone who is on a pension or the dole. Now they say there are going to be water charges as well. There's only so much people can pay."

Justin Hyland, Cavan

"You wouldn't know what way it'd end up. If it ended up like the North, sure you could end up at €1,000 or €1,200. I know they're starting off at €100 but that's only a starting point. It could escalate. If it stayed at €100 that wouldn't be too bad."